I can pipe only a few small leaves before my buttercream icing seems too hard to pipe. I can remove the tip, clean it out, and continue piping a few more leaves before it becomes too hard to squeeze again. What am I doing wrong?

Katheryn
- from Milpitas, CA

The most likely reason you are having problems is that your icing is too stiff. When making leaves, I like to thin my icing with corn syrup; in addition to thinning the icing it adds elasticity, which should keep your leaves from breaking. You did not mention what tip you were using to make your leaves. If you are using tips 65 through 69 and you still have problems after thinning your icing, use the edge of a small spatula to widen the opening of the tip a bit. Or, switch to tip 352 or 366; they’re my favorites and some people have more success with this style of leaf tip!